Manifesto of the Communist Party

The Manifesto of the Communist Party was written in 1848 by Karl Marx, with the assistance of Friedrich Engels. It opens with a presentation of the views of the Communist party: essentially, that throughout history, there have always been class struggles, necessarily ending in either a revolution or in the termination of both classes. The current class struggle, as presented by Marx and Engels, is between the modern bourgeois (the employers of wage laborers, and the owners of the means of production) and the proletariat (the class of modern wage-laborers). Their main argument against the bourgeois is that it exploits the proletariat and concentrates the means of production and property into the hands of a few.

Once their views are established, the writers then discuss various objections against the Communist party followed by their rebuttal of those objections. The final two chapters describe various Socialist and Communist literature and the position of Communists in relation to the various existing opposition parties. The writers end with an irresistible call to arms: “Workingmen of all countries, unite!

Although the authors of this book do make several important points – the dangers of Capitalism and the inhumanity of treating the proletariat simply as a means of production and increasing capital – some of their views should be questioned.

First, the entire argument for Communism is based on a materialistic philosophy. In materialism, all ideas, including moral, political, artistic, social, and philosophical ideas, are determined by economic factors. Therefore, when the economic atmosphere changes, the ideas valued by society also necessarily change, even affecting moral views. The problem with this philosophy is that it looks only at the quantitative aspect of reality, neglecting the evident fact that when we speak of morals a qualitative aspect is necessarily implied. In addition, materialism completely ignores the spiritual nature of man, making no distinction between matter and spirit. Within this train of thought, there is no room for the idea of God.

Second, the stance of the Manifesto towards the family is questionable. The writers claim that the present-bourgeois family is based only on capital and private gain. In addition, they wish to take away the most basic right of the parents to educate their children by forcing their children into public education. Furthermore, they treat all marriage and family solely as a civil institution, depriving them of their sacred character. As a result, communists wish to form a community of women, essentially dissolving marriage altogether and placing the responsibility of raising children in the hands of the community. The problem with this theory is of course that the family is the most basic unit in any society. To do away with it would be to do away with all society and would result in a mass of humanity incapable of relation.

Finally, the process of the revolution itself seems to rest on an overly optimistic view of human nature. Marx and Engels admit that in order for Communism to get started, it must be initiated by a form of despotism. This is very dangerous. Due to the fallen nature of man, when one or a group of people are given absolute power and control over things, they don’t easily give it up. Thus we see throughout history that Communist governments tend to remain in either a state of despotism or totalitarianism.

The Manifesto of the Communist Party is certainly both educational and entertaining. The writers employed a convincing tone by appealing to an experience common to all men: those who have been exploited in some way wish to stop it, and those who have not been exploited wish to prevent it. The detailed exposé of the struggles of the proletariat captures the emotions to such an extent that, by the end of reading, one is ready to fight! But, readers beware! If I were to recommend reading it even just for educational purposes, then I would recommend a very cautious, careful, and critical reading of it. Furthermore, I would suggest reading it in conjunction with Divini Redemptoris by Pope Pius XI.